The Charleston Classic isn’t on the level of the Puerto Rico Tip-off, and I confess I’m not looking at the event with the same anticipation. However, there’s an interesting field here, too, even if it’s somewhat less talented across the board. Here’s how log5 breaks down each participant’s chances in the event that starts today…

There hasn’t been much buzz about the Big Ten being the nation’s best conference, but a Northwestern win here might nudge the marketing effort in the right direction. They appear to be the best team in the field and draw an LSU that fell to Coastal Carolina in the Tigers’ tune-up for this event. A personnel note: Georgia Tech gets Glen Rice, Jr. back from suspension beginning with the second game of this event.

I suppose if more than one of these teams made the NCAA tournament, I’d be surprised. But maybe it will be the springboard for somebody. It feels like a showcase for NIT and CBI hopefuls.